child snatch attempt: UPDATE suspect taken into custody

[Asset]

Just thought this ought to be made known. A letter came from the school with this information.

On Monday afternoon two girls from my son's school were followed by a man. He followed them into a quiet road and then picked one of them up and tried to run off. Luckily the girls made enough noise screaming to get people out of their houses and the man let go of her and ran away.

The police were called and have his description but I thought that people on this forum ought to be made aware in order to take precautions for a while.

I'm not scaremongering, rather passing on information.

[Mark]

Thanks for that Asset, is there any more info you can give like time, place, descriptions etc?

[TillieTrotter]

4.30ish pm from Dulwich Hamlet walking to Frankfurt Road.

[Asset]

Descriptions always tricky but I was told by the school: White man late twenties/early thirties, sandy brown hair, goatee beard, grey hooded sweatshirt, dark glasses.

[Dulwich_ Park_ Fairy]

There was a similar incident about 3 months ago outside the church on Calton Avenue. The guy again was quite young.

[Ganapati]

Wonderful. As if we don't have enough to deal with! Sounds like it may be the same guy. Thanks for this info. I for one definitely want to k now about this stuff.

[Louisa]

Asset, have you contacted the Sun newspaper yet?

[TillieTrotter]

Louisa, why dont you bug off and find someone as horrible as yourself to play with. This is serious stuff and it really doesnt need your pathetic purile comments on it!(td)

[Louisa]

Tillie, that was the idea, and now i'm playing with her! :)

[Ganapati]

Oh Louisa--must you be so nasty in this situation? Really don't see how Asset's comment warranted that remark, given that one of the girls was actually snatched. Why do so many people dislike children?

[Louisa]

I do not in any way dislike children, and I take this advice as seriously as the next person (if it is true). I do not however support the idea of a lynch mob style thread, where we do not know all the information and are relying on the word of one forum member. Tabloid style bashing based on limited information is not my style, or anyone elses on this forum.

[*Bob*]

I wouldn't worry about it. Every time I see Louisa's name on a posting I can't help thinking of 'The Childcatcher' from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

More irritating/laughable is her continual usage of 'emoticons' after every posting, like a three year old let loose packet of wax crayons.

[TillieTrotter]

Why are you so disbelieving of everyone? Seems you have a few trust problems my dear, google a number for a counsellor, they should be able to sort you out!

[Louisa]

I think it's time to Lounge this one :)

[Asset]

Thanks to you.

[Administrator]

Louisa consider yourself warned for your behaviour, this is the first time anyone has ever been warned and hopefully the last.

You have hijacked a serious thread in order to be vindictive against another user which in my book is unnecessary and just plain wrong. Please have consideration for the nature of a thread. Also purposefully trying to get a thread Lounged (where it will be seen by less people), especially this thread is out of order.

Some messages unrelated to the thread's title have been removed, apologies to those who wrote them but I think you'll understand why I did it.

regards

[TillieTrotter]

I'm sorry that I allowed myself to get angry there Admin:(

[dulwichmum]

This is simply terrifying.

DM

[SeanMacGabhann]

DM - I'm assuming you mean the attempted abduction and not the first ever official warning?

Indeed I was shocked not only to read the initial post but that something similar was attempted 3 months back.

[snorky]

Im ssuroprised that the school issued a note about this - Im not disputing the facts of the letter, but it does seem rather odd - kids dont ususally get dragged off by random strangers, despite what you read in the papers

[Tom]

sorry to be a bit sceptical, but why hasn't this been followed up on the news? surely 2 events should qualify for london tonight?

why have there not been signs up from the police. i nice big yellow board would help raise awareness very quickly.

[changed to lowercase, please don't write in all capital letters- The Administrator]

[SeanMacGabhann]

Tom, Tom, Tom...

What's with the CAPS SHOUTING

Not a bad point tho

[Asset]

I'm assuming the school issued the letter as it was an unusual and random event and wanted the parents to be aware of it. If it happened all the time they wouldn't need to issue letters.

As the school felt it was important enough to issue a letter, I felt it was important enough to pass on the information.

Is the sceptisism about the event occuring or that I'm making the whole thing up?

[ed_pete]

The event definitely happened. It's been confirmed to me by the mother of a close friend of the two children involved.

[SeanMacGabhann]

If there is any from me, it's not sceptisism about you or the letter being real Asset - honest guv

But something doesn't sit 100% - if the school had seen suspicious behaviour I would have thought that warrants a letter to parents.

But in the wake of recent events if someone actually got hold of a child and ran for it but was foiled (after an allegedly similar recent event in the area we later learn) then I would have thought at the very least BBC London would be at the scene and covering it? And if not why not?

ed-pete: I'm not saying it didn't happen. But saying it definitely happened when you are at least twice removed doesn't make it a case-closed. And if it definitely did happen are we absolutely sure this wasn't play-acting amongst people who know each other? That could sound harsh I know but just trying to square the facts. I repeat - if this did genuinely happen and there were witnesses I would expect more than a letter from a school (that sort of thing used to be for poor grades!) - I would want media coverage with on site reporters saying "have you seen the person who matches this description?"